In the 20th century air transport
has developed into a safe, reliable and economic means of transportation
for passengers, cargo and mail. In the next two decades, the air
transport is forecasted to double. To enable this expansion to occur
within the limited airspace, with the limited number of airports
and runways and with the increasing requirements with respect to
safety, noise and emissions, new technological developments are
necessary. The use of satellite-based Communication, Navigation
and Surveillance (CNS) systems. combined with further steps towards
computer-assisted and automated Air Traffic Management (ATM) with
digital datalink between ATM and aircraft computer systems, will
be necessary. The introduction of new forward-looking warning systems,
the increase of precision on approach and landing systems and the
improvement of procedures and training levels will be required to
improve the safety level. The availability of on board "traffic
displays" will allow the flight crew to take care of maintaining
safe separation between aircraft, even in reduced visibility conditions.
This might lead to more freedom for the flight crew to optimize
flight operations. The human will become more and more a system
operator who monitors the correct operation of airborne and ground-borne
systems. The human must also be able to take over in case of malfunctions.
This requires adequately trained individuals adequate display and
control systems. Improved Man-Machine Interfaces will have to be
introduced to present the data in an organized, natural and intuitive
way. The paper describes the development of aviation into today's
reliable air transport system and the developments and research
required to enable the growth forecasted for the next decades to
be realized.